1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-216901 discloses a connector with male and female housing that are connectable with each other. The male housing is formed with a receptacle to surround male terminal fittings and a lock hole penetrates the upper wall of the receptacle. The female housing has a lock projection that is engageable with the lock hole. The receptacle is deformed resiliently outward in the process of connecting the two housings to permit insertion of the lock projection into the receptacle. The receptacle is restored resiliently to its initial position when the housings are connected properly connected. Thus, the lock projection engages in the lock hole to lock the two housings together.
Engagement of the lock projection in the lock hole can be confirmed visually when the lock hole is seen from above. Thus, proper connection of the housings can be detected. However, the connector may be installed in a small space or near other parts. Thus, an operator may not be able to see the lock hole from above and the connected state of the housings cannot be detected.
The above-described connection detection problems could be overcome if the locked state could be observed from the front of the receptacle, such as at the space provided before the receptacle for permitting entry of the female housing. However, the front surface of the receptacle is a connection surface with the female housing, and the prior art technology does not accommodate inspections from the front.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-173843 also discloses a connector with male and female housings connectable with each other. A wire cover is mountable on the male housing from behind and covers the rear end surface of the male housing. The wire cover enables wires connected with terminal fittings in the male housing to be drawn out along the rear end surface of the male housing and protects the wires from external matter. The wire cover is mounted on the male housing by engaging a locking section projecting from the front edge of the wire cover with an engageable section on the outer surface of the male housing.
The housings are connected by engaging a lock on the outer surface of the male housing with an engaging portion in a receptacle of the female housing. However, the engagement of the lock and the engaging portion is hidden in the receptacle and cannot be seen. Thus, it is not possible to judge precisely whether the housings are connected properly. The wire cover is exposed to the outside, and it would be desirable to use the wire cover for detecting the connected state of the housings. It would also be desirable to add a construction for clearly detecting the connected state of the housings.
The invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to improve a detection of a proper connection.